Mad Season
by Empress-Eerian-Sadow
Summary: vincentOC vincent is a hard man to live with on a good day, but this valentine's day she's had enough. she'll just tell him the truth and be gone.


Skye Bonner had never considered herself a romantic person, but she had usually enjoyed Valentine's Day. After she had met Vincent Valentine, though, she had been forced to seriously revise her opinion. Since she had met him, in fact, she had learned to hate the day.

The holiday always made him broody and short tempered. Anything was enough to set him off, and over the last ten years, she'd had more conversation with Chaos on Valentine's Day than with Vincent.

Sometimes, the man just dwelt too much on long dead ghosts.

Skye looked down at the gift she'd gotten for him—a simple gold-wrapped box of chocolates—and sighed. He'd forbidden the gift of course, but she'd never been one to do what he said when she felt he was being foolish. She'd obeyed his wishes for the last nine years, but this holiday was different.

_'I'm sorry, Vincent.'_

_Why do you do this to yourself every year, Vincent?_

_'What do you mean?'_

The brooding. The anger. The long internal monologues about how you can't ever love again. The way you shove Skye away when she's just trying to express herself to you.

_'What could you possibly know about Skye that I don't?'_

_Quite a bit actually. Seeing as how I will actually talk to her on Valentine's Day._

_'What am I supposed to do, demon? This is a day for lovers. People in love. The woman I love is dead.'_

And has been for well over thirty years. You can't pine away for the woman who dumped you for Hojo forever.

Vincent Valentine slouched down in his recliner and closed his eyes. _'Shut up, demon. I'm going to sleep.'_

That's your solution to all your problems. Just go to sleep. Hells, you would have gone back to sleep after Sephiroth if you hadn't made that promise to Aeris. Which you are breaking, I might add.

"Shut up, Chaos!" Vincent shouted. "I just want to be left alone!"

_And so you shall be,_ the demon said cryptically before falling silent.

Skye signed her name to the letter she'd written to Vincent and folded it. She hadn't wanted to end things this way, but after ten years of sacrificing her life for him, she'd had enough. Yuffie Kisaragi had offered her a place to stay in Wutai for a while, and after she delivered Vincent's gift to him, she'd be on her way there. A tear made its way down her cheek as she slid the paper into the envelope she had for it. She licked the envelope to wet the glue then sealed it. Finally, she pressed a kiss to the back of it, knowing he'd never let her give him a true one.

Silently, she got up from her writing table and grabbed the chocolates. She left her office and made her way down the hall to Vincent's room. She heard him shouting at Chaos before she reached the door.

'He just wants to be left alone, huh? Guess I made the right decision after all.'

She didn't knock before she entered his room. She just opened the door and walked in. setting the chocolates on his desk.

Vincent glared at her from under his bangs.

"Those are for you," Skye told him, then walked out of the room.

After she'd closed the door behind her, Vincent got up and walked to the desk. _'Dammit, I told her not to get me things for this damn holiday.'_

Ignoring the chocolates, he picked up the envelope and opened it. He'd been expecting a card, not the neatly folded letter he pulled out.

_Beloved Vincent,_

_This is the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm leaving tonight. I don't mean just for a few days either. If you want to find me, I'm sure you will. I've never been good at hiding._

_I want you to know that I've loved you for a long time now. Sometime after all the madness with my father, actually. But I just can't live in the shadow of a dead woman anymore. Oddly, I'm not angry. Just very sad. I think I know how you felt now, when she left you._

_I hope that someday you can get past your pain and begin to live again._

_All my love_

Skye 

Vincent sat and stared at the chocolates for a long time.

He found her in the stable saddling her chocobo Nightshade. She had a small pack by her feet and a light cloak around her shoulders.

"What do you want?" Skye asked as he came in.

"To talk."

"Then you should talk fast, because I have a boat to catch." She petted the black bird's head and gave it a green.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"That's it?" Skye turned to look at Vincent. " 'I didn't know?' "

Vincent looked down at the stable floor. "Your letter made me realize something. I feel like an ass now."

"Well good. What did you figure out?"

"That this is just a day. And that I've dwelt on a dead woman for far too long." He looked back up at her, his crimson eyes locking with her own. "I'd like you to stay, if you're willing to give me another chance."

"I don't know, Vincent. I don't think I can go back to the way things were." She turned back to her chocobo.

Vincent walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm not asking you to go back to the way things were before. I want to start over."

"Vincent, I—"

"Just come back inside. We can share the chocolates."

Skye glanced at him in surprise to see the corners of his mouth quirking up in a small smile.

"They sound quite good," he continued. "I've never gotten chocolates on Valentine's Day before."

"Never?"

"Never. It was…nice." Vincent placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Please come back inside the house. Its too empty without you."

Skye felt her heart stop beating for a moment. _'My gods…He actually gave me a kiss. Is he really serious?' _"You mean it?"

"Yes. I do have feelings for you, Skye. I was just too stupid to see it before."

Skye turned in his loose embrace to look him fully in the face. "I won't play second seat to a dead woman."

"Never again." In a move that surprised them both, he leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the lips.

"Did you mean it about the chocolates?" she asked when they broke for air.

"Absolutely. They're the best gift I've ever gotten."

Skye laughed. "That's not what I meant!"

Vincent smiled again. "I know. And yes, I still want to share them with you."


End file.
